Daisy International BB Gun Championships: Local coach finds interesting way to motivate team

By NORM HANEY, The Daily News, nhaney@bgdailynews.com/783-3271

Friday, June 30, 2006 10:03 PM CDT

With the Daisy International BB Gun Championships coming to E.A. Diddle Arena this weekend, the Warren County/Bowling Green Jaycees BB Gun team has plenty of initiative for winning.

But coach Rick Adams thought he would go above and beyond typical motivation and give his team an even greater reason to come away triumphant.

If the team comes in third place, Adams will reward them with a new hairdo - a pink dye job, to be exact. It only gets better from there, however. If the team takes second place, he'll dye his hair pink and put on a tutu. If the team wins the whole thing, Adams will go with his team to the water park with his new hair color and the tutu.

“I'm worried,” Adams said. “I feel really confident. They can do it as long as they don't have any mental breakdowns.

“I may be going to the water park.”

The team is made up of seven boys and girls, ranging in age from 11 to 13. Only five players can compete in the competition, with two others serving as alternates. Each shooter has 10 minutes for each of the four targets - prone, standing, sitting and kneeling.

Each shooter sits five meters away from the target, which doesn't seem that far of a distance, until you notice that the bull's-eye is smaller than the actual BB itself. Focus is the name of the game, and Adams feels like his team has the mental fortitude to be successful.

“It's hard to have a kid sit down for 10 minutes and be totally concentrated on that trigger the right way, breathing the right way and not just get totally nervous,” Adams said. “It's very difficult. It takes a lot of patience, a lot of patience.”

Following the actual shooting, all participants have to take a true-and-false test on gun safety and match rules.

Over 300 competitors will be taking part in the event, which runs today and Sunday in Diddle Arena's auxiliary gym. Admission is free and spectators are welcome to attend.

One of the more unusual rules of the event is a kid who shoots one year has to sit out the next. The rule was instituted to try and get more kids involved and keep any one team from being stacked year in and year out. Alternates who are on a team, but do not actually shoot, are not affected.

The rule works out well for Colin Hiatt, at least this year. After sitting out last year's match, he returns with sister Kelsey as part of the active roster. Joining them will be Noel Maxwell, Fielding Glenn and John Haley. Molly Greer and Cierra Baize are the team's alternates.

The thought of seeing their coach with a pink mop has been a driving force since the team started practicing twice a week in February, according to 12-year-old Kelsey Hiatt.

“We were working hard, but once he told us he would dye his hair we started working even harder,” she said. “That's what we're striving for. We've got a pretty good team, so hopefully we can do it.”

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Nightcrawler

July 1, 2006, 01:36 PM

That, my friends, is taking one for the friggin' team. :D

carebear

July 1, 2006, 03:57 PM

From the pictures I'm assuming they aren't using Red Ryders, but I can't find the rules on what BB guns are allowed. I shot air rifle in high school (Anschutz and Feinwerkbau) but I've never seen a BB gun (admittedly limited exposure) I'd call "match accurate".

CSA 357

July 1, 2006, 04:12 PM

i hope they go all the way! to the water park,:) *csa*

Preacherman

July 1, 2006, 06:55 PM

Carebear, Daisy make a line of competition guns, for both BB and pellets. See here (http://www.daisy.com/shopping/customer/home.php?cat=253) for details.

Dravur

July 1, 2006, 06:56 PM

Perhaps the coach is just looking at this as an excuse to wear his tutu to the waterpark?

carebear

July 1, 2006, 07:25 PM

Preacherman,

Whoulda thunk it, a match grade smoothbore roundball shooter. One of those looks like the Red Ryder lever action with a match-sighted barrel.

For $179 might be a neat purchase.

JohnKSa

July 1, 2006, 10:31 PM

Whoulda thunk it, a match grade smoothbore roundball shooter.They are quite accurate at close range-- the bores are held to very close tolerances as are the match BBs. They are loaded from the muzzle, and it takes awhile for the BB to fall down the bore due to the tight clearances.
http://www.russellsformen.com/images2/dai-499.jpg
http://www.russellsformen.com/01collectibles01/dai-499.html

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